Use Your myFollowTheMoney Login

Or

Welcome to myFollowTheMoney, the customized e-mail alert community with deeper access to the unique and powerful data from the National Institute on Money in State Politics.

By creating a free myFollowTheMoney account, you’ll not only be able to download our data for your own exploration, you can also receive updates from us on the issues you care about. In addition, you’ll be signed up to receive our quarterly newsletter, packed with insider information on the hot topics facing money in state politics.

We will not share, rent, or sell your e-mail address with any other individual or organization.

Party money played a big role in Illinois politics in 2010, the last election before campaign contribution limits took effect. This comparative analysis of the 2010 elections by researcher Anne Bauer examines the eye popping cash poured into candidate and party committee coffers in Illinois.

The opinions and views in the report do not necessarily state or reflect those of the Institute's funders.

Fast Facts

On average nationwide, a candidate running in a contested general election in a single-seat legislative district in 2010 raised around $85,000. The average Illinois legislative candidate raised around $320,000.

Illinois House Republican Leader Tom Cross raised $3.7 million in 2010, the third-highest total of any legislative candidate in the nation.

Michael Madigan, Illinois' long-time Speaker of the House, raised $4.9 million in the 2010 cycle--more than any other legislator in the country except for one (a legislator in Texas who ran unopposed).

Officeholders in Illinois who faced little or no competition in the general election or who raised money but weren't running in 2010 brought home a third of the total raised by candidates.

Snapshot: Illinois' 2010 Campaign Finances

In 2010, Illinois’ last election before campaign contribution limits took effect, $201 million poured in to candidate and state party committee coffers. This represents a significant uptick in the money raised in the previous two elections that had the same offices on the ballot. In 2006, the overall total was $165.9 million and in 2002, $184 million. Officeholders who faced little or no competition in the general election or who raised money but weren’t running in 2010 brought home large amounts of money in Illinois—nearly $55 million, or a third of the total raised by candidates. When a race was contested, both major parties kicked in significant amounts of money. Not surprisingly, nail-biters—races won or lost by a few margin points—commanded a larger proportion of party money.

Methodology

The National Institute on Money in State Politics collected the campaign-finance reports filed by state-level candidates and committees with the disclosure agency in their respective states. The Institute then entered the numbers into a database for analysis. The Institute used the employer and occupation information provided on disclosure reports to assign an occupation code to individual contributors. When that information was not provided, staff members conducted additional research to determine a contributor’s economic interest, where possible. The occupation codes are based on the Standard Industrial Classification system used by the federal government.

Governor’s Race

The governor’s race featured a white-hot battle between Democratic governor-by-default Pat Quinn and his Republican challenger, Bill Brady. Quinn raised $24 million, which is 20 percent more than the $20 million in Brady’s war chest. Despite that fundraising advantage, Quinn won by less than one percent of the vote.

Quinn received significant support from labor interests—$5.7 million from general trade unions, $4.7 million from public sector unions, and almost $1 million from transportation unions. As a group, labor organizations contributed $11.4 million, or 48 percent of Quinn’s total. Brady, on the other hand, received 40 percent of his total from conservative policy organizations, at $7.9 million.

Focus on Retention

Justice Thomas Kilbride had little time to think about being named chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court in September because he had to begin campaigning for the November election. Although it was a retention election usually an afterthought in the electoral process, Kilbride faced a very real threat of being unseated by groups unhappy with some of his decisions. Kilbride raised $2.8 million and retained his seat. Democratic Party committees provided $1.5 million of his funds, which is 53 percent of his total.

Four Tops Spinning Cash

Prairie Staters colloquially refer to the four legislative leaders as the “Four Tops.” The foursome were fundraising juggernauts who raise large sums of cash and dole much out to their party’s candidates.

Michael Madigan, Democrat, long-time speaker of the house and chair of the Illinois Democratic Party, raised $4.9 million. His nominal opponent, Republican Patrick John Ryan, raised nothing. General trade unions provided Madigan $1.1 million, or 23 percent of the total he raised. Madigan shared his bounty to the tune of $3.1 million with other Democratic candidates and the Illinois Democratic Party. The latter received a whopping $2.4 million, or 75 percent of the amount Madigan’s committee distributed. Madigan raised more than any other legislator in the country except for one (a legislator in Texas who was likewise unopposed).

House Republican Leader Tom Cross raised $3.7 million, also essentially without an opponent. Cross’s Democratic opponent, Dennis Grosskopf, raised just $41. Cross didn’t have any large benefactors to speak of—hospitals and nursing homes gave him more than did any other sector, but accounted for only 7 percent of his total receipts, or $279,750. Absent a true contest, Cross doled out $2.1 million to Republican candidates and party committees; the Illinois Republican Party gained $825,000, or 40 percent of Cross’s largesse. Cross raised the third-highest total of any legislative candidate in the nation.

President of the Senate John Cullerton managed to rake in $2.1 million even though he was not up for election. General trade unions contributed the most, at $289,700. Cullerton’s committee gave out $1.5 million, primarily to the Illinois Senate Democratic Victory Fund. He gave the fund, which he controls, $1.4 million.

Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno raked in $1.6 million and was not up for election, either. Radogno, like Cross, received money from a wide range of economic sectors. She received the most ($144,793) from donors in the telecommunication services & equipment industry. Radogno’s committee gave $1.4 million to Republicans; she shifted $1.1 million of that to the Republican State Senate Campaign Committee.

Competitive Legislative Races Swim in Party Money

Candidates vied for 139 legislative seats in Illinois, 19 of which saw $1 million or more raised in total by all the candidates. Of those 19 seats, six were not monetarily competitive.12

Candidates who ran in the 13 most-expensive and embattled races raised $20.1 million. Party money3 accounted for 61 percent of the total overall raised for Democrats and 57 percent for Republicans in those races. While the Democratic Party spent more overall on those 13 races ($7.1 million compared to the Republican $4.8 million), the two parties essentially came to a draw when seven Republicans and six Democrats won. All but one contest featured tight races in which the winner took 55 percent or less of the total votes cast.

On average nationwide, a candidate running in a contested general election in a single-seat legislative district raised around $85,000. The average Illinois legislative candidate raised around $320,000. Party money accounts for 27 percent of the total raised by legislative candidates in Illinois, but only 16 percent of the total nationwide. Assuming that Illinois races remain expensive, the percentage of money coming from the parties—and therefore the party influence—may well increase.

Clearly, party money played a big role in Illinois politics in 2010, and may continue to do so. As of this past January, individuals, corporations, and labor unions face limits on giving to candidates and party committees for the first time. Party committees, however, are much less restricted. In fact, parties may contribute unlimited amounts of money to uncontested primary candidates and to any candidate in the general election. Candidate committees and PACs may contribute as much as $50,000 to another candidate or committee. The limits placed on other contributors are much lower.4

1. Madigan’s and Cross’s re-election bids, discussed above, are included in the six.

2. The Institute considers a race competitive if a general election candidate raises more than half as much as the candidate who raised the most money in that race.

3. Party money includes contributions from party committees, candidate committees, and leadership committees.

4. “Guide to Campaign Disclosure,” page 7, Illinois State Board of Elections, revised March 2011, available from http://www.elections.il.gov/DocDisplay.aspx?Doc=Downloads/CampaignDisclosure/PDF/CampDiscGuide.pdf, accessed May 9, 2011.

This report was posted on June 02, 2011 by Anne Bauer.Let us know what you thought! Click here and give us some feedback.

Related News Release

This Report in the News

House Speaker Michael Madigan and House Minority Leader Tom Cross raised a total of $8.6 million during the 2010 election cycle, according to a report released Friday, which made the two party leaders the second and third highest fundraisers out of all state legislative candidates nationwide.Both Madigan (D-Chicago) and Cross (R-Oswego) passed off more than half of their funds to help candidates in their respective parties win election contests, the National Institute on Money in State Politics found in its report. Read the full article HERE.

Did You Know?

States where candidates in 2006 raised 10 percent or more of contributions from unitemized contributions had itemization thresholds of $100 or less or higher.